An aphorism on battles is that, "The winner is the one who shows up firstist with the mostist". Therefore Trump has already won the GOP nomination while Sweet Sarah and "wait and see what they want to hear" Romney were still polishing their best plans. Trump even started bombing the evil Obama Gang before Obama's Campaign got into gear.

He is kinda ridiculous but he has done a few things with his life that most of us can not. One thing he has not done is become and then resigned, before the term expired, a public office. Much smarter than Palin

None of them - Trump, Palin or Romney - measure up to the greatness and rightness of Ruben Navarette. Who, you ask? The provincial lockstep lib nothing author of the article. Oh, and they're none of them likeable either, according to Zero's zero.

Trump isn't an old fashioned macho man or plain speaker. He's an old fashioned snake oil dealer who went into real estate instead of evangelism or law. He says what will tickle the ears of just the right sort of people so that he can get what he wants. He's John Edwards with more publicity. He's Benny Hinn without the Nehru jacket. He lies using the occasional truth, cajoling people to think he's plain speaking, when in fact he's just all about himself. I'd say he's probably even a sociopath, but not one who's inclined to physical violence.

Trump is not someone you want on your side because he's never on anyone's side but his own.

Trump will see to it that hair restoration Rx is a covered benefit in National Health insurance. He calls it his equal Hairiness Plan. The teaching of the History of Bald people will also become a mandatory course. And I expect that the Professor will award The Donald a "Trump is like Bush" honorary tag.

While The Donald would probably be better than the current empty suit in the Oval Office, that's really not enough. There is considerable damage to be undone, and The Donald has been all over the map to the point where you can find him on both sides of virtually every issue.

Paddy O...You have spotted Trump for a plain spoken competitor in the realm of money and politics. But why does that anger you? He is not asking to be made our saint.So you can keep saint status protected without fear of competition from such a common man.

I don't think there's any worry about him being considered a saint. My goal is to protect macho men and real plain speakers from being lumped in with him.

By giving the appearance of saying things others won't say, he puts on the mask of being a daring individual willing to stand against the tide. But he'll only do so inasmuch as it benefits him personally. He's a caudillo in populist clothing, who takes advantage of issues so that he can gain more power and money, and who, I have no doubt, will change views on issues to fit his own whim of the moment.

How about both of them doing just fine getting TO Obama. And, telling it "like it is."

Sarah Palin is considered right wing. Because Trump is searching for votes, he claims a conservative mantle.

Both would be entirely different in office! Trump's not running as a politician!

The other thing to notice is that waves happen on the surface of great oceans. Not everybody is conservative.

It's one of the reasons you get politicians to "cater" to a base. While it's the team they're gonna bring in that counts the most.

Actually Boehner should become very afraid. Ditto, the chinless wonder in the senate. Imagine not being able to look any better than Harry Reid. And, to wield less power than Biden.

If Trump carries an ace is that he's pulled businesses out of bankruptcy, befeore.

He can rip into Obama like nobody's business.

And, "hidden" behind the "where was he born" gig. There's one thing we know. Obama wasn't born in a manger. And, he's not interested in showing the world his mom wasn't married when she got pregnant. And, back in those days women weren't flaunting black boyfriends.

We also don't know how to account for all the politicians the saudi's buy. Trump can't be bought. Why should he buy oil, when he can go in and TAKE the oil fields. Where do the arabs have the talent to work them, all by themselves?

And, yes. China wants "IN" ... in Libya, for one thing.

At least with Trump the military wouldn't come as a big surprise.

Entitlements? Heck, what if all you need to do is build walls around ghettos? (You didn't know this is what freeways have been used for?)

Between Trump and Palin, Trump wouldn't be starting out from square one.

Rodney Graves...Yes, Forrest is still a hero here in the south because he was a plain spoken warrior. The first act of the Maynard Jackson Mayoral regime was to re-name a major Atlanta artery Martin Luther King Blvd in place of Forrest Avenue.

Trump will not run. There are too many dirty deals in his background that would come to light. And unlike Obama the main stream media will blare them 24/7. To the point that he will run away as fast as he can.

The current condo deal where he is being sued is just the tip of the iceberg.

Holy sh!t, Dick Tracy. McCain was the worst piece of garbage that ever grabbed a republican nomination. And, I say this knowing Bob Dole was on his coattails.

What did McCain have to offer?

(The Meg Whitman approach of buying a nomination because she promised to pay for it.)

To McCain, however, you can add GIGOLO! No difference between McCain and John Kerry! Two absolute doofus's getting nominated by "insiders." Without a thought of what you need to WIN.

Trump is in this because he sees the opportunity.

As to McCain, that whole thing was just sad. The PUTZ thought he'd win because Obama was Black. (That's like going into Vietnam thinking we had superior power to the locals on the ground.)

How come McCain never, ever, had to re-think anything? Does having a rich wife (so you never have to have a real job in your whole life), have anything to do with HOW the TWO GIGOLOS both serve in the senate?

What Trump is a shill. He is the guy outside the geek show getting people to come in and see the snake lady. Most of his deals do not have his money in it. Just his name, somebody puts up the dough and they use his name and his ability to get publicity to market the apartments or condos or his casinos which are all owned by the banks from his previous bankruptcies.

His business dealings will not stand up to scrutiny. Not even a cursory glance.

This is all a show like Celebrity Apprentice and more fool you for paying more attention to it than you do the Celebrity Apprentice.

What Trump is a shill. He is the guy outside the geek show getting people to come in and see the snake lady. Most of his deals do not have his money in it. Just his name, somebody puts up the dough and they use his name and his ability to get publicity to market the apartments or condos or his casinos which are all owned by the banks from his previous bankruptcies. His business dealings will not stand up to scrutiny. Not even a cursory glance.

This. I really doubt he wants the sort of public disclosure and scrutiny that a Presidential campaign requires regarding personal finances. This is all publicity for his show (which is now guaranteed to have high ratings for the night he makes his announcement) and his business. He'll be out of the race at some point before the financial disclosure forms need to be filed.

The Quad-City Times is responsible for running the headline, and, of course, for running Navarette's column. However, Navarette is not a local columnist nor a local to this area (I live in one of the Quad Cities). He's a native Californian (Fresno) and a graduate of Harvard, and his column is syndicated through The Washington Writers Group. I believe he still lives in the San Diego area.

The reason everyone is pimping Trump is because he is a clown and he can suck the oxygen out of the Republican side right now. I mean if Sarah Palin and Trump can get all the action and publicity it stops other candidates from getting traction.

Which in retrospect might be a good thing. It can let other candidates refine their pitch without being attacked by the minions of the left in the main stream media.

People are pimping Trump for the same reason I always vote for all the Mets on the National League All Star Team. You want the suckiest players to be on the other team. Just sayn’

Here are the secrets to Trump’s success. For one, he is the new Sarah Palin. Whereas once the broadcast media couldn’t stop talking about the former Alaska governor — even if only to criticize her — it now gives that around-the-clock attention to Trump.

Well, there's something to that, so far as it goes: The broadcast media does seem pretty obsessed with both.

The only other Palin reference in Navarette's piece occurs here:

Lastly, Trump is a good alternative to the person who was thought to be the presumptive Republican front-runner until the poll data started rolling in: Romney. The former Massachusetts governor isn’t a favorite of tea party voters, and it doesn’t help that he comes across as arrogant and dismissive.

Here’s one example: A couple of years ago, when Time magazine put Palin on its list of “the most influential people,” Romney was asked about it and quipped to the reporter: “Was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?”

Now, was that really necessary? Romney has two degrees from Harvard — in law and business, and Palin went to at least four different colleges in six years to get a degree. And he has to pick on her? Why? Because she could turn out 20,000 people for rallies and Romney couldn’t?